Running-gear for vehicles



' (No Model.) 4Sheets-Sheet 1,

' v P. HERD IO.

Running-Gear for Vehicles.

No. 226,748. Patented April .20, 1880.

% I v .Peferfirdac,

By hi .fltfurneys I I W M I M N.PETER3. PHOTO-LITHOGRAPMER. WASHINGTON, B. C.

(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 2.

'P. HER-DIG. Running-Gear for Vehicles.

No. 226,748. Pat gnteiApril 20.1880.

Jil

oyk w NPEIERS. FNOTO-LITHDGRAPHER. WASHINGTON D C.

4 Sheets-Sheet 3.

lll u (No Model.)

P. HERDIO.

Running-Gearfor Vehicles.

No. 226,748. Patented April 20,1880.

I I I I I l I I By his Z/hH'm I/s Z N4 PETERS, PHOYO-LITHDGRAFNER. WASHINGYON, D. C.

(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 4. P. HERDIC.- Running-"Gear for vehicles.

No. 226,748. Patented A ril 20,1880.

N-PETERS, FNOTU-UTNQGRAPHER WASH NGTON D O UNITED STATES PATENT OFFlC..

PETER HERDIO, OF WILLIAMSPOBT, PENNSYLVANIA.

RUNNING-GEAR FOR VEHICLES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 226,748, dated April 20, 1880.

Application filed March 4, 1880. (No model.) I

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PETER HERDIC, a citizen of the United States, residing at Williamsport, in the county of Lycoming and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Vehicles, of which the following is a specification.

The chief objects of myinvention are to provide strong easy-running vehicles, to adapt them to be turned abruptly or in a small space,

.1 to reduce the strain upon and Wear of the .rts incident to the oscillation or swayof the -hicle-bodies when the vehicles are passing over stones, uneven ground, 850.

My invention relates mainly to improvements in axles, in the running gear, in the manner of mounting the body, in the way of supporting the front axle upon the wheels, and in draft devices and the manner of attaching them, all of which improvements, together with minor features deemed novel, will hereinafter fully be described preparatory to a specific statement of what is claimed.

In the accompanying drawings my invention is shown as suitably embodied in a one-horse vehicle, and in the best form now known to me for organizing all my improvements in a passenger carriage or coach. Some of the improvements may, however, be used without the others. Parts may be modified and details of construction and arrangement varied to adapt my invention to wagons for heavy hauling and to the various styles of vehicles in common use.

Figure 1 is a side elevation; Fig. 2, a front elevation with some of the parts in advance of the front axle omitted and others in section; Fig. 3, a rear elevation. Fig. 4 is a plan or top view with the body removed, the wheels represented in dotted lines, the positions assumed by parts in turning being also shown, and some parts being broken away or in section to more clearly show their construction; Fig. 5, a View, partly in side elevation and partly in vertical section, on the line 5 5 of Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a view on an enlarged scale, partly in front elevation and partly in section, of a portion of the front axle and its connections; Fig. 7, a view, partly in plan and partly in section, on the line 7 7 of Fig. 6. Fig. 8 is a vertical transverse section through the axle on a considerably larger scale than shown by the other figures.

The front wheels, A A, and the hind wheels, A A, are made large, by preference of four and five feet diameter, respectively. The hind wheels are mounted on a metallic braced cranked axle, B, best made of cast-steel, in one piece, and of the form hereinafter fully described. The front wheels are independently and loosely mounted upon stud-axles or turning arms a a, supported at the ends of the me tallic stock or caststeel axle proper. B, and braced so as to prevent any movement, except a horizontal vibration independently of the axle.

The axles are each made at one casting, in a single piece, by running the molten metal into a suitable mold, and then treating it in proper well-known way.

To combine great strength with lightness and durability, the axles B B are of ribbed and Webbed or flanged cast-steel. The axles in this instance are what may be termed a double-T shape in cross-section, having the duplex top and bottom ribs or flanges, 11 b, on both sides, connected by the thin vertical web b.

The front axle-tree or axle proper is provided near its ends with diagonal struts or inclined braces 1) b These braces are best formed or cast in one piece with the axle. At

top the braces bend outward .or project horizontally, or nearly so, for a short distance.

Two turning tubular metallic posts or sleeves, O G, one at each end of the axle-tree B, carry the stud-axles or axle-arms a a for the front wheels. Each of these posts is adjusted so as to bear at its base upon the end of the axletree and at top against the overhanging end of one of the struts or braces W. The post is forced in position by springing the brace slightly-say to the extent of three-sixteenths or a quarter of an inch, or somewhat more, if necessary. When in place the post interlocks with the brace-arm and axle-tree by means of suitable projections and corresponding socket-s or cavities in the parts.

By referring to Fig. 6 it will be seen that an annular boss, 0, at the post-top fits into its seat in the under side of the brace end, while V a I a circular projection, c, on the axle-tree is received into a socket in the post-base. Headed and threaded rods or strong bolts 0 0, one for each post, pass through the posts, the axletree, and the braces, and are drawn up and held by nuts 0 c at their tops.

The axle'arms a a are formed with the turning posts or sleeves, G O, of cast steel, and havin g the lugged brackets or projections O O for running-gear connections and braces, soon to be described.

The journals or axle-arms for the rear wheels project from or near the tops of the upwardlyprojecting ends or cranks D D of the hind axle, and are in one piece of cast-steel with said axle and its struts or diagonal braces 01 d.

It will be obvious that I might cast my hind axle with its cranks D D and braces d d all in one piece, and afterward attach/the axlearms, as it is not new either to form axle-arms in one piece with an axle or to attach them to an axle, and upon some considerations the latter plan has its advantages. For example, the liability to break will be greatest in the axle-arms, and, if they are applied separately, when broken they can be replaced, as usual, without the loss of the whole axle, or even the trouble of removing it from the frame-work of the vehicle for repair.

, The front and rear axles are connected by a reach, shown as consisting of the two compound bars E E, each formed of a wooden center bar and two side bars of metal, united or formed solid at their ends, bolted together as usual. A cross-piece,,E, connects and centrally braces the reach-bars. This brace E is tubular. A rod, threaded at its ends, passes through it, and the bars E E and nuts 6 0 hold the parts together. The shouldered and rounded threaded ends of the reach-bars pass through the axles, and are held fast to the front axle by nuts 6 c and to the rear axle by nuts 0 0 The reach-bars or two-part reach E E and rear axle are braced together by metallic bars D D, which are secured at their front ends by rivets or bolts and nuts 01 d to the reach-bars, and at their rear ends are attached to the tops of the cranks D D by tap-bolts (1 d Diagonal front braces, F F, similar to and connected with the reach in the same manner as the-rear braces, D D, join at their front ends with the pivot-bolts O O, beneath their nuts 0 0 By the above-described way of connecting and bracing the axles it will be seen that they are firmly held parallel with each other, and maintain the same relative positions at all times, and this without interfering with the proper location and attachment of the coach or carriage body, A or any suitable wagonframe or vehicle-body, as will presently more fully appear.

The body A is mounted in such manner as to bring the greater portion of the weight to be carried upon the rear axle and high hindwheels, so that the vehicle will run easily and pass with but slight jolting over ruts, stones, &c.; and the body is also mounted low down to avoid as much as possible the violent and injurious sway or oscillation of the load or body when obstacles are encountered by the wheels.

Springs G G rest upon and are suitably secured to the axle B close to its respective cranks or upright portions D D, inside the struts d 01, respectively, and outside the reachbraces D D. are hung to the vehicle-body, by pivots and lugs g g on a cross-bar, G, secured to the bot tom of the body A, and their rear ends 0011- nect with a third or cross spring, G .in a wellknown way.

The body is supported at front on the axle B by three springs, H H H. The springs H H are two-part, each consisting of a main or lower member secured by a clip to the axle, and an upper jointed part secured to the body A by a cross-piece, h, having lugs h h. The cross-spring H is jointed at its ends with the other springs, H H, and suitably attached at its middle to the under side of the body of the vehicle. The springs H H are respectively secured to the axle just inside of the braces or struts 1) b A sway-frame or draft attachment vibrates horizontally about a jointed connection with the middle of the front axle and connects with the turning supports of the front wheels. This draft attachment consists of a bar, I, parallel with the axle, and connected therewith by a metallic strap or rod, 1, and pivot-bolt i. This rod projects upward and forward from the axle to the bar I, to which it is pivoted. Aring or disk, J, on the red I is provided with lugs, in which arms j j of a bar, J, are pivoted so as to play vertically. This bar J serves to attach the shafts and whiffletree. Instead of this bar, however, a suitable tongue-socket may be employed.

The ends of the sway-bar I are respectively pin-jointed to the front ends of connecting radius rods or links K K K K K K jointed at their rear ends to the turning posts G O and pivots G 0 thereof. Each link K extends diagonally downward from its pivot O to the bar I. Each link K extends from the lugs l on the front of its turning post to said bar, and the inside or bracing links K extend from the inner ends of the brackets C of the posts to the links K, respectively, near their junction with the bar I, and are bolted, as at L, Fig. 7

at'their front ends to the respective links K- From the above description it will readily be understood that in turning the draft attachment and front wheels and their supports assume the positions in which they are represented by the dotted lines in Fig. 4, or approximately such positions, according to how short a turn is to be made.

I do not broadly claim cast-steel axles, nor every way of mounting the front wheels of a The front ends of these springs.

' vehicle upon jointed axle-arms or independent stud-axles, so asto turn about supports on a non-turning axle-tree or axle proper; nor. do I broadly claim cranked axles, nor every way of bracing such axles, nor broadly the combination of a front axle-tree or axle proper, turning stud-axles, and a sway-frame or vibrating draft attachment.

I claim as of my own invention 1. The axle-tree or axle proper, B, with its struts or braces b N, all in one piece, as and for the purpose set forth.

2. The axle B, having the cranks D D and the struts or braces d d, all made in one piece, substantially as described.

3. The cranked axle B, made in one piece with the axle-arms and provided with the struts or braces d d, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

4. The ribbed and webbed axle B, having the cranks D D, the struts or braces d d, and the axle-arms, all in one piece of cast-steel, as

7 described.

tially as and for the purpose hereinbefore set forth.

7. The one-part tubular post 0 and axle-arm a, formed, as described, to interlock with bearings in the axle-tree and strut or brace thereof.

scribed my name.

8. The combination, substantially as hereinbefore set forth, of the reach-bars, the front axle-tree, the struts or braces thereof, the turning posts carrying the axle-arms, the pivotbolts, and the braces connecting said bolts with the reach-bars.

9. The combination of the reach-bars, the cranked and braced rear axle, and the braces connecting the reach-bars and axle-cranks, substantially as described.

10. The combination, substantially as hereinbefore set forth, of the front axle, its struts or braces, the rear cranked axle, the reach-bars or two-part reach connecting the axles, the front and rear brace-bars of the reach, the posts carrying the axle-arms for the front wheels, and their pivot-bolts.

l1. Thecombination of the rear cranked axle having the struts or braces 61 d, and the bodysupporting springs secured to the axle close to its cranks and inside the struts, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

12. The combination of the front axle proper its struts or braces, the axle-arms, turning posts carrying said arms, their pivot-bolts, the draft-bar, the rod or strap connecting said bar and the axle, and the link-connections between the ends of the draft-bar and the turning posts and their pivots, these members being and operating substantially as hereinbefore set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto sub- PETER HERDIG.

Witnesses: v

WM. J. PEYTON, L. B. WIGHT. 

